TV Tokyo's New Program (Including the Family Thread)

As the person in charge of hardware development, he understood better than anyone what this document meant.

This means that, in the era of 16-bit consoles, we could begin to possess the key to realizing true 3D games!

"So, I want to ask you, Minister Nakamura." Nakayama Takuya pointed to the paper, his tone casual, but the question he asked was earth-shattering, "Could we—could we put this little thing into the MD cartridge?"

Nakamura suddenly raised his head, and the bloodshot in his eyes seemed to become clearer. He was so shocked by this thought that he couldn't speak for a long time.

"Put it in a cartridge? You mean—let the Mega Drive run 3D games?!"

"Why not?" Nakayama Takuya retorted. "I don't need you to develop a new console, nor do I need you to start from scratch. I just want to know if we can add it to game cartridges so that the Mega Drive can run even the most basic 3D games."

Nakamura frowned; his brain was already racing, countless circuit diagrams and design schemes flashing through his mind.

Cost control, power consumption issues, compatibility with MD motherboards—one problem after another emerged, but what followed was even greater excitement.

If—if it could really be done—

That would give Sega a trump card that could be played at any time! A trump card that could give the Mega Drive a head start over the Super Famicom, even though its performance was currently inferior to the Super Famicom!

"Give me a detailed feasibility report," Nakayama Takuya patted him on the shoulder, "Including estimated costs, R&D cycle, and the possibility of mass production. I'm not in a hurry, just give it to me after you've finished the research."

After saying that, he glanced at his watch, turned around, and left the Hardware Development Department.

Nakayama Takuya returned home, the front door wasn't even fully closed yet, but he had already changed his shoes and slid into the living room.

He took off his suit jacket and casually draped it over the sofa, loosened his tie, and without saying a word, plopped down on the tatami mat and moved closer to the chubby little thing who was trying hard to roll over.

"My sweet son! Daddy's home! Did you miss your handsome old dad today?"

Just three months old, little Kazuki was kicking his short legs energetically when he heard the sound. He stopped and turned his big black eyes to Nakayama Takuya.

Xiao Kazuki kicked his legs and made "ah-woo ah-woo" sounds.

"Oh! Are you saying Daddy looks even more handsome today? You have great taste!" Nakayama Takuya translated his son's baby talk into a compliment without any hesitation, plopped down, and gently poked his son's chubby cheek with his finger.

Little Kazuki was amused and giggled, waving his arms and legs to grab the mischievous finger.

In the open kitchen, Nakayama Eri was wearing an apron and preparing dinner, the rhythmic "tap tap" sound echoing from the cutting board.

She turned her head and watched her husband and son communicating in "baby talk" as if no one else was around, and a gentle smile unconsciously curved her lips.

Since the Kazuki turned three months old, they moved out of the Nakayama family's mansion and back to their own little home.

Although Eri has resigned from her job at the television station to become a full-time housewife, she still cares deeply about the station's developments because her father, Nakagawa Jun, will eventually hand over his shares to her as his only daughter.

The latest episode of "Supermarket Battle" was playing on the television set on the wall right on time.

In the program, a bespectacled, seemingly refined housewife was pushing a shopping cart at almost 100-meter sprint speed, engaging in a "shopping cart battle" with two competitors in the fresh produce section, aiming for the last half-price Wagyu beef on the shelf.

The commentator roared in a voice as excited as an F1 race, "Go! Tanaka. Tanaka went! She dodged the potato promotion pile! A beautiful drift! She's got her opponent firmly behind her! My God! She got it! She got that half-price Wagyu beef that symbolizes her status in the family tonight!"

Eri couldn't help but laugh out loud as she watched the exaggerated yet realistic scene on TV.

"What are you laughing at?" Nakayama Takuya was bringing his face close to his son's, imitating Kazuki blowing bubbles.

"Look, it's because of this that today's ratings hit a new high," she said to Takuya while quickly chopping scallions.

Takuya shifted his gaze from his son to the television screen, where he saw the "victorious" housewife proudly displaying her spoils to the camera, her face beaming with genuine joy.

Nakayama Takuya glanced at the screen and chuckled, "No wonder the ratings are so high. I heard from your father the other day that it broke another record."

"Yes, everyone says that only watching this show can make life feel a little fun," Eri sighed, her hands still busy shredding the vegetables into the bowl.

"Fun?" Nakayama Takuya snorted, turning back to tease his son. "I think it's because the Nikkei Index in Tokyo has fallen below 17,000 points, and everyone's wallets are getting emptier with Yukichi Fukuzawa. Think back to two years ago, it was at a high of 38,000. Back then, who would engage in such cutthroat competition in the supermarket for half-price Wagyu beef?"

"Everyone's wallets are getting tighter and tighter, so naturally they like to see how others achieve great things with little money, and maybe even learn a trick or two along the way."

Although he spoke lightly, Eri sensed the deeper meaning behind his words.

She chimed in, "Who says otherwise? The newspapers are full of bad news every day."

The only sounds in the kitchen were the sizzling of ingredients being added to the pan and the noise from the television.

After a while, Nakayama Takuya suddenly stopped interacting with his son. He sat up straight and looked at Eri's back.

"So," Takuya picked up his son, letting him lie on his lap and gently patting his back, "Once the 'Supermarket Big Battle' reaches its peak, and when viewers start to get used to the joy of saving money, it's time to give them an even bigger dream."

Eri suddenly stopped chopping vegetables, slowly turned around, and looked at her husband.

Under the living room lights, the smile on Nakayama Takuya's face had faded, replaced by a deep and bright radiance.

Her heart began to race for no apparent reason.

Nakayama Takuya said, word by word, "Go tell your father that you can bring out that program now."

Eri's hand paused, and the project proposal her father had locked in the deepest part of the drawer flashed through her mind.

That was when she first brought Takuya home to meet her parents; that's what she said to her father.

From then on, the proposal was locked in the safe in the station director's office.

Her eyes gradually brightened, and her voice trembled slightly, a tremor she herself was unaware of.

"You mean—'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire '?"

"Hmm." Nakayama Takuya nodded, his confident smile returning to his face. "Tired of playing cheap games? Time to go all out."

"I'll call my father after I finish eating!" Eri continued what she was doing.

She knew better than anyone the significance of this program.

If Supermarket Battle was like a warm bowl of soup to soothe the gloomy social mood, then Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is like igniting a raging fire in everyone's hearts!

"Supermarket Battle" is a survival strategy for dealing with an economic downturn, while "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" plants a seed of "hope" in everyone's heart.

In this era, what could ignite societal enthusiasm more than an ordinary person's dream of becoming rich overnight?